One Pot for Fall Braises, Chili, and Sunday Batch Cooking (Ninja PossibleCooker PRO Plus)

Fall cooking is mostly two moves: brown something hard, then let it go low and slow for hours. Traditionally that means a skillet for the searing, a slow cooker or Dutch oven for the long simmer, and a sink full of pans at the end. The Ninja PossibleCooker PRO Plus is built to do both steps in one 8.5-quart pot, which is exactly what you want on a cold Sunday when the plan is a big braise and leftovers for the week.

What you're buying

The Ninja PossibleCooker PRO Plus, 8.5-qt Multi-Cooker, Bone & Champagne (Amazon Exclusive) is in the site catalog; check its product page for the current price. Per the product page, it has nine cooking modes: slow cook, sear/sauté, bake, braise, proof, steam, rice/pasta, sous vide, and keep warm. It comes with a glass lid and digital controls, and its nestable design is meant to replace a stack of pots for family meals and batch cooking. Catalog rating: 4.4 / 5.0.

Why searing in the same pot matters

The browned bits left behind after you sear short ribs or brown ground beef are where a lot of a stew's flavor comes from. When you sear in a skillet and then move everything to a slow cooker, you either scrape those bits over or leave them in the pan. With sear/sauté and slow cook in the same pot, you brown the meat, soften the onions, splash in some broth to loosen the bottom, and switch modes. One pot to wash, and nothing gets left behind.

Three fall meals it's built for

A Sunday braise. Sear chuck roast or short ribs, add onions, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, and stock, then braise or slow cook until fork-tender. Keep warm holds it while people trickle in.

A big pot of chili. Brown the meat on sear/sauté, add beans, tomatoes, and spices, and let it simmer. The 8.5-quart capacity is there for doubling the recipe.

Weeknight rice or pasta. The rice/pasta mode makes it a weeknight pot too, not just a weekend project, so it earns the counter space between braises.

Follow Ninja's manual for times, liquid amounts, and maximum fill lines; a multi-cooker this size is easy to overfill when you're doubling a recipe.

Turn one pot into a week of lunches

A big pot is only useful if the leftovers actually get eaten. Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass Food Storage Containers, Set of 9 are in the catalog too; check their product page for the current price. Per the product page, the assorted set uses clear tempered-glass bases with airtight latching lids, is BPA-free and leak-proof, stacks in the fridge, and goes from fridge to microwave and oven, with the glass bases rated up to 450°F. Catalog rating: 4.6 / 5.0.

Let the stew cool a bit (follow food-safety guidance and don't leave it out for hours), portion it into individual containers for lunches and one larger one for a second family dinner, and label the lids with the date. Clear glass means you can see what's in the fridge at a glance, and for the oven, take the lid off and use only the glass base.

Who this is for

Families who cook big on weekends, batch cookers, small kitchens that want one appliance instead of a skillet, a slow cooker, and a rice cooker, and anyone who hosts a fall gathering or two. Skip it if you already own a slow cooker you like and don't mind searing in a separate pan; our 7-quart Crock-Pot guide covers that simpler setup. And measure your counter and cabinet space first; 8.5 quarts is a large appliance.

What we're not claiming

We didn't cook in this unit, time its modes, or measure how evenly it sears. The 8.5-quart capacity, nine modes, glass lid, digital controls, nestable design, Amazon Exclusive Bone & Champagne finish, the Rubbermaid set's tempered-glass bases, airtight latching lids, BPA-free and leak-proof build, 450°F base rating, and the ratings above come from the product pages and catalog. Brown the meat, switch the mode, and let Sunday take care of Tuesday's lunch.